All In
by lavenderspark
Summary: Inspired by the teaser for ep9 at the end of ep8 last week. Specifically the quick shot of Charles asking Liza to stay the night. One shot. No beta, I read through it before posting, but wanted to get it up before the new ep airs and ruins everything. Warning for smut...


"Don't go home tonight," he said, his eyes pleading.

Liza looked up at him and her stomach flipped. She certainly _wanted_ to stay, but a voice in the back of her head reminded her of why she couldn't. Her eyes searched his face as she furrowed her brow, trying to think of how to respond without hurting him.

"I-" she was cut short when Nicole came bounding into the room. _Her_ room. They were there to put her to bed she reminded herself.

"All clean!" The girl announced, referring to her teeth. "Daddy, do I really have to go to bed? Why does Bianca get to stay at the party?"

"Yes, you do," Charles said, picking her up and putting her in bed. "And Bianca is getting ready for bed too. The party will be over soon, you're not missing anything, I promise. Now, get some sleep, I'll see you in the morning." He tucked the blankets around her and kissed her forehead. "I love you, good night," he said, walking to the door.

"I love you, Daddy, good night," Nicole said, then turned to Liza, "Good night Liza, thanks for coming up with me."

"Of course, sweetie, you get some sleep," Liza said, smiling and walked past Charles, out the door.

She walked down the stairs and out to the back yard, to re-join the party. She felt mildly guilty about leaving Charles without finishing their conversation, but she needed to clear her head. She would talk to him before she left.

Things were winding down; those with families were headed home to put the kids to bed, those that were single were headed out for the night with friends. Diana and Richard had already left and Liza was hugging Kelsey goodbye at the door, when she felt him behind her. She closed the door behind Kelsey and turned around to find him leaning on the balustrade, watching her.

"That's everyone," he said, his eyes never leaving her.

"Is it?" She asked, walking toward him, she couldn't help it, she was drawn to him. Her stomach all knots and butterflies. She knew she should go, but she kept walking toward him. She stopped in front of him, an arms length away, safe she thought. "Charles, I-"

He reached out and placed his hand along her jaw, covering her mouth with his thumb. Her heart was racing as he stood and closed the distance between them. "I thought I told you how I felt about talking," he said rubbing his thumb across her bottom lip. She closed her eyes as a shiver passed through her. "Unless you don't want me, don't want this," he whispered, so close she could feel his breath on her skin. Her breath caught as he softly kissed the corner of her jaw, just below her ear.

"I do," she whispered, placing her hands on his chest and immediately grabbing hold of his shirt for balance as he roughly kissed her. He slid one arm around her waist, to run his hand along her spine, the other squeezed her hip and pulled her tight against him.

All thoughts of leaving vanished, all thoughts of any kind were gone. She could only feel. His hands

Remembering the girls were upstairs, and George at the office, he quickly lifted her and carried her across the floor to his study.

Not wanting to let her go, he lifted her from the floor and Liza wrapped her legs around him, instinctively rubbing against him. He fell back against the balustrade, a low moan escaping his lips. Gaining his balance again, he quickly walked to his study. Once in the room, he turned and closed the door, pressing Liza against it. He released one of her legs to brace himself against the door, but held the other against his hip as he ground into her. She cried out and arched into him, sliding her hands from his chest up to his shoulders, digging her nails in. He moaned and ground into her again, kissing along her neck, down to her clavicle. Scrapping his teeth across the bone, he shifted his weight to remove his hand from the door and ran his hand along her side.

She held her breath and her fingers found their way into his hair, twisting and pulling; nails scraping his scalp. He squeezed her thigh as he brought his lips to hers again, nipping at her bottom lip. She released her breath in a soft mewl as his hand found its way under the hem of her shirt. His fingers skimmed up her ribs, sending shivers through her; she arched as he palmed her breast. His other hand slid up her thigh, to her hip, roughly pulling her against him. She gasped at the sensation and dug her nails into his scalp. He moaned into her neck, releasing her leg to find the hem of her shirt with both hands. He pulled away far enough to pull the shirt over her head. As soon as her arms were free, she reached for his belt, fumbling blindly with the buckle as he reclaimed her mouth. She managed the fly with no trouble and pushed his pants down past his hips, letting them fall to the floor.

He stepped out of his pants, pulling her with him, toward the couch. He half sat, half fell onto the couch with Liza in his lap. She straddled him, rocking her hips into him as she worked the buttons on his shirt. He held her with one hand firmly gripping her hip and the other splayed across her back. She sighed in satisfaction when the last button was free, pulling away from his lips to kiss down his neck to his newly exposed chest. She ran her hands across his chest, lightly scraping her nails over his nipples. He sucked in his breath through clenched teeth, dropping his head back onto the couch; both hands on her hips, he bucked up into her. She shuddered and lifted herself to capture his lips, biting at his bottom lip. Her fingers found their way into his hair again, tangling themselves among the strands of salt and pepper. His hands slid up her back and found the clasp to her bra, releasing the hooks. He trailed his fingers along her spine, up and down. She keened and pulled at his hair, he moaned and flipped them, laying her on her back on the couch.

He removed his shirt and tossed it on the floor, his mouth never leaving hers. He propped himself up on an elbow while the other hand traced a line down her neck to her shoulder, pushing the strap of her bra down. Her breath hitched as his fingers grazed the top of her breasts as he made his way to the other strap. Once it was off her shoulder, he hooked a finger around the middle and pulled the garment from her body. She pulled her arms free and cried out as his mouth closed over her nipple. She arched into him, her hands finding his shoulders, nails biting into the skin. She trembled as he began kissing her abdomen, making his way to the waistband of her skirt. She shivered as he ran his fingers along her skin at the top of her waistband. He pulled the zipper down, kissing the inside of her hip. She moaned and bucked her hips and he removed both skirt and underwear in one swift motion; shifting so she could push them down off her legs. He returned, crushing her mouth with his, moaning as her fingers glided along his ribs, nails dragging across the tender skin just above his waistband.

He pulled away from her enough to look at her face, "Liza, I-" he gasped as she slipped a hand under his waistband.

"Shh, no talking, remember?" She said, palming him with one hand and pushing at his boxers with the other.

He took over, removing the last garment that stood between them. He settled between her hips, leaning his weight on one elbow, he cupped her face with the other hand. She turned her head, nuzzling into his hand; his breathing hitched as she pulled his thumb into her mouth. He turned her head back, covering her mouth in a searing kiss as he pushed into her. They both cried out as she arched, to send him deeper, wrapping her legs around him. He tried to stay still, to allow her to adjust, but she writhed against him, desperate for movement. He obliged, matching her fast pace. She ran her hands along his back, scratching and digging her nails in his skin, up into his hair, pulling and scraping his scalp. Her whole body tingled as the tension built inside her.

He growled low in his throat as she squeezed her legs around him. He slid an arm under her back, closing his hand over her shoulder, to hold her steady as he slammed into her. She cried out, arching into him, nails buried in his back. Thrusting frantically, he felt her closing around him; it was enough to send him over. They both cried out in release with his final thrust and he collapsed, panting, leaning to one side to keep most of his weight off of her.

"Wow. That. Was amazing," Liza said after she had caught her breath.

"It was. I'm sorry it was so short," Charles said, smiling down at her.

"What? No. It's about _quality_ , not quantity. Plus, I don't think I could've handled much more than that."

"Well, I appreciate that, but I hope I can make it up to you," he said, kissing her clavicle. "I know you're used to someone with more... stamina. I remember my twenties."

Shit. She had to tell him, and she had to do it NOW, awkward or not. She wiggled under him, trying to sit up and find something to put on. He moved, pulling on his boxers as she grabbed his shirt, putting her arms through and wrapping it around her. He watched her warily, waiting.

"I don't know how to say this, so I'll just say it," she said, looking over at him. "I'm not twenty-seven."

He furrowed his brow, confusion, then fear filled his features. She held up her hand to keep him from speaking. "I'm forty-one. I lied. On my application," anxiety rushed her on and the words tumbled out. "I was desperate. I needed a job and no one would hire me. I didn't know what to do and Maggie told me to lie about my age. Everything else about me is true, I only lied about things that would give away my age," she paused, "Please don't fire me. I need my job, I love my job."

He was dumbfounded for a moment, then it all sank in and he laughed. It was Liza's turn to look confused. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh, I'm just relieved. Liza, I'm not going to fire you, you are very good at your job. Given the situation, I don't know that I could even if I wanted to."

She sighed, "Thank you. And you're not mad? On a personal level?"

"No, I'm not mad. Surprised, but not mad. Is this what you kept trying to tell me?"

"Yes. I didn't want to get involved with you with a lie hanging over us. But I was scared. I need my job and when I told Kelsey, she was so angry she didn't speak to me for weeks. Then she made me promise not to tell you. She's worried about the effect it could have on Millennial."

"Kelsey knows?"

"I told her right before Bonfire. I had planned on telling you and Diana right after, but she told me not to."

"So Kelsey is the only other person at the office that knows?"

"Yes."

"Good. We'll keep it that way and pretend that I don't know either. There's no reason to tell anyone that I do since no one can know about us any way."

"They'll probably figure it out eventually. I'm pretty sure George knows already."

"That's fine, they can think what they want. HR really doesn't care as long as we're still professional at the office."

"Can we do that?" She asked smiling.

"I certainly hope so, though those short skirts do make things difficult," he said moving to sit closer to her. He put an arm around her and pulled her to his chest. "So, is there anything else I should know?"

She smiled, "I have a daughter. Her name is Caitlin. She's in college."

"College?"

"Yeah, I was really young when I had her. Quit my job to stay home with her. Then I found out my husband was having an affair. And he spent all our daughter's college tuition on a boat."

"That's awful, I'm sorry."

"Yeah. I should also mention, I'm only separated from my ex. He refuses to sign the papers."

"Well, you know my story, literally, so I can't be upset by that," he laughed.

"That's true. By the way, this," she gestured to them and their clothes strewn all around the room, "way better than page 58. Personal opinion," she said smiling up at him.

He tipped his head back and laughed, "Duly noted."


End file.
